


Rumors vs. Reality

by ZaynCentric



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 4k, Just Friends, Rumors, not relationships - Freeform, zayn centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 14:32:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2696459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaynCentric/pseuds/ZaynCentric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Can someone please make an AU or one shot of zayn centric, where he returned and the boys are happy, but like they find out he's forcing himself because of rumors and it gets bad and just end it with lots of cuddles and fluff and this needs to be written</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rumors vs. Reality

To Liam, there was no better way to promote the release of their album than going to a nice theme park. It was a lot more personal than most of their usual shows, and he and the lads were able to connect with the fans more. The rides were amazing, the people were amazing, and having the chance to go to Hogwarts was amazing. Being able to experience this is amazing.

 

Unfortunately, not all of his boys could make it. Zayn had gotten the flu a few days earlier, and sadly, his mother refused to let him go anywhere except for his bed (Liam knew not to argue with an overprotective mother). None of them even knew Zayn couldn’t make it until the actual day they arrived in Orlando. Which sucked, because Liam knew how badly Zayn would’ve loved the Harry Potter Park; he would have freaked over the wands and butter beer that were sold at every corner. 

He and the others were currently stuck in their hotel, where Paul ordered them to stay put (“I’m looking at you, Louis,”). Harry and Louis were arguing over which ride to go on first, while Niall was too engrossed in the TV to acknowledge any of them. It was too early in the morning to even be functioning, but their schedules have been hectic the past few days. It wasn’t unusual for them to be up and ready before seven.

“I am not going on E.T., that ride’s just pedaling a bike!”

“But they say your name at the end of the ride.” Harry argued, and Louis huffed with mock annoyance at the youngest boy. Liam smirked, and was about to give his input, when there was a knock at the door. Niall looked up at the noise and stood up, a smile already forming on his face.

“Looks like we’re going, lads.” The blonde boy threw the door open, expecting to see Paul to escort them to their car. He was definitely surprised when he saw Zayn, standing confidently with his suit case by his feet. His surprise turned into delight, and he was quick to pull Zayn into a bone crushing hug.

“Zaynie, you made it!” The others looked up at the name, and joined in the cheering when they saw their missing piece being crushing by the blonde. There were hugs and sloppy kisses on the cheek, and Zayn walked into the room, dropping his bag on the floor with a smile.

“Yeah, I guess it was just a one day flu thing. Took the first flight I could to get here.” Liam wrapped an arm around Zayn’s shoulders, smiling brightly as he explained to Zayn all about their first day, and how incredible the park is, and how performing just didn’t feel right without him there.

“Looks like I missed out on a lot.” Zayn frowned apologetically, and Liam only shrugged in response. He noticed that the others seemed livelier with Zayn back, as they talked much more actively about how the rest of the day would be. They had full access to all the rides and attractions, a chance to meet their fans, and perform during the night, when all the spotlights and attention were focused on them. There was no way their day could be ruined.

“Yeah, but we have all of today and tomorrow too. You’re going to love these cool wands I found at one of the gift shops; I was going to get it for you but thought I should look around so more before I buy anything. You know, can’t give a person the wrong wand.” Liam laughed.

There was another knock at the door, and Harry opened it to reveal Paul. The older man gestured to his watch, signaling that it was their time to go. Louis raced out of the room with Niall and Harry on his heels, and Paul rubbed at his temples, like he always did when the boys did something out of the realm of normality.

“C’mon, they’ll cry if we don’t catch up.” Liam smiled, reaching out for Zayn’s hand. He frowned when the older boy sharply pulled his hand back, covering it up with a sheepish laugh.

“I forgot to tell you guys, but I have a meeting with Floortje, Ari, and Ellie. I have to go over tonight’s show with them. I’ll meet you guys there, okay?” Liam hesitated, but with Paul’s reassuring nod, he accepted Zayn’s excuse and left quickly. When he was out of sight, Paul turned to Zayn with a disapproving look on his face.

“I don’t like covering up your lies. Why don’t you just tell them you’re still ill?” Zayn instantly deflated, lying heavily on the couch that Niall had recently been sitting on. 

“You think those protective twats would even let me leave the room? I’ll be fine, I promise.” Paul nodded distrustfully before he shut the door behind him, and Zayn sighed as he tried to ignore the pounding headache and feeling like he was going to fall apart any minute now.

He hadn’t been lying, technically. Floortje, Ari, and Ellie did plan a meeting with him to talk about the show later on that day. He was actually grateful that he had been set up with the three kindest employees of Modest; they were practically the only ones who actually cared about the boys. 

However, the “meeting” was only going to be a five minute call on Skype to go over the basic details. The rest of the day would be spent in the hotel room, and then he’d get a ride to the park an hour before rehearsals, where he’d tell the others that the meeting ran a lot longer than he had expected. He hated lying, especially to them, but it was the only way he could have a chance to perform. And to prove “recent rumors” of him abusing substances false, but he’d rather die than let them see how deeply those rumors effected him. 

xxx

In the most basic terms, Zayn felt like shit.

It seems like his condition had only gotten worse throughout the day; he’d been sick twice already. He felt like his body was burning up, and yet he found himself shivering violently during periods of the day. The idea of food made him queasy, so he refused to order room service, even though he knew it would probably help him in the long run.

However, he was leaving for the show any minute now, and he refused to let this stomach bug ruin the rest of his day. He looked at his reflection, noting the paleness of his skin and the bags under his eyes. He could blame it on the cold, he supposed.

"Zayn, your car’s here!" He heard one of the men of security yell from the other side of the door. Sparing one last glance at his reflection, Zayn made his way out of the room and downstairs to the car. He fought off the feeling to be sick the whole way to the park.

xxx 

The rehearsals went surprisingly well, considering all of the chances Zayn had to fuck up his plan. The others had been disappointed that he couldn’t have enjoyed the park, but none of them put their thoughts to words. They were just happy that he was able to make it. 

It wasn’t like they had the time to specifically ask why the meeting had been so long, because they were rushed into rehearsals the minute Zayn got there. He could see Liam glancing at him from time to time; Zayn knew Liam would corner him later and ask if he really was okay. Despite spending almost two hours to try and make himself look decent, there was no way he could hide how pale he looked. Hopefully, he could blame it all on the cold weather.

"You’re on in five, boys." One of the crew members informed them while they were waiting backstage. Like Zayn had hoped for, it was freezing; he was wearing three layers, but he was still shivering every time a breeze drifted by. He prayed that the others would brush it off as chills. 

"Zayn, you mind if I pull you aside for a moment?" Liam wrapped an arm around Zayn’s waist casually, and the smaller boy nodded with a smile. Inside, however, he was freaking out. What if he knew Zayn was faking it? He’d force Zayn to not perform (Liam was by far stronger than Zayn and could easily do so), and the night would be ruined because they’d be worrying about him instead of enjoying the show. The overprotective jerks.

"I’m sorry you couldn’t hang out at this park with us. Maybe we can try and sneak onto the Hulk, or something? I’m sure Louis can convince Paul to give us time." Zayn smiled with relief when he heard Liam’s words; so he was off the hook for now. 

"It’s alright, Leeyum. Let’s just smash this performance, yeah?" Liam’s pout turned into a beaming smile, and he nodded eagerly. 

"Yeah, this is going to be awesome. Performing without you was weird; m’glad you’re back." And Zayn felt his heart nearly burst with fondness at Liam’s affectionate words. He smiled brightly, fighting off the sudden urge to be sick, which would inevitably blow his cover.

"I agree. C’mon, looks like we’re going on now."

xxx

Three songs into the show, Louis noticed something was off with Zayn. The younger boy, who was usually graceful (especially compared to the others) was sluggish with his movements. He also noticed Zayn shivering violently for short periods of time; it was cold, but he looked five seconds away from hypothermia. 

"Something’s up with Zee." Louis grabbed a hold of Harry’s shirt and pulled the youngest boy into hearing range. The curly haired boy glanced at Zayn, and frowned with concern when he saw Zayn. He hadn’t noticed the paleness of the older boy’s face, or even the bags under his eyes that hinted that Zayn hasn’t been getting enough sleep. However, it couldn’t have been any more obvious that Zayn didn’t look okay.

"Yeah, he looks so…sick." With Harry’s last words, they both were hit with the sudden, and rather obvious, realization. Zayn was still sick, yet here he was on stage, stupidly determined to push himself past his own limits.

"I’m going to kill him." Harry shook his head disappointingly.

"No, we are going to get him somewhere warm, and make sure he gets enough sleep tonight."

"And then I’m going to kill him." The two had to stop their conversation when their next song, Girl Almighty, began to play. During the performance, the two kept their eyes out for Zayn. Now that he was watching Zayn, Harry did notice some things that he would’ve missed; the way the older boy was shaking, the way he was avoiding looking at the others. It was like he was afraid that they would know he was faking his health.

Louis wanted to yank Zayn off of the stage, but every attempt he made to reach Zayn was ruined. He was either asked through his ear piece to talk to the fans between the songs, or one of the others would unintentionally distract him. Harry figured that since Louis hadn’t spoken to Zayn, that he would talk to the Bradford boy after the show, so he made no attempts to talk to Zayn.

"Best way to kick of our album debut, yeah?" Niall smirked at Zayn after the song, and the older boy nodded with an uneasy smile. Niall frowned, but then noticed Zayn’s shivering, and his horrible attempts to hide it.

"I’ve got you, Zaynie." Niall dramatically threw his arms around Zayn, helping the older boy by shielding him from the piercing breezes. It actually warmed Zayn’s heart, because he knew (everyone knew, really) that Niall always had a soft spot for him. All of the boys did, actually; Louis had addressed it one day, during one of their nights stuck in one of their hotel rooms. "It’s this brotherly instinct," Louis had explained," to protect you. You just seem like you need it more than the rest of us." (And then Harry had jokingly complained since he was the youngest and felt that he deserved that desire to be protected, and they had dropped the subject completely).

"Thanks, Ni." Zayn laughed, before he coughed roughly. Niall frowned, and patted the older boy on the back. "You alright?"

Zayn nodded, turning away from Niall. The Irish boy noticed how roughly his frame shook with each cough. Niall rubbed circles into his back until he had finally stopped coughing. Zayn glanced up at him with a nervous smile, and Niall rolled his eyes.

"You’re still sick, aren’t you?" He shook his head when Zayn confirmed it with a nod. The younger boy was about to tell Zayn to get his arse off the stage, but Zayn stopped him with a rather desperate no.

 

"I promise I’m going back to the hotel to rest after the show. Just don’t tell the others, okay? I have to finish this show.” Niall glanced helplessly towards Liam, who was too occupied with making the fans smile.

 

"I don’t know. Zayn, being out here is literally the worst thing you could do to yourself." The older boy nodded.

"I know, but I have to do this. Niall, I’ll explain it later, but you can’t tell the others, especially Liam. Not until the show is over, promise?" And with Zayn staring up at him hopefully, Niall found it impossible to say no. The older boy smiled happily, and then coughed roughly into his sleeve. Before Niall could express his concerns, and maybe go back on his promise, Zayn was jogging to the other side of the stage, effectively ending the conversation.

xxx

"Zayn’s sick!" They had just gotten off the stage, with the adrenaline still buzzing in their veins and their hearts still beating to the rhythm of their final song. Niall, Harry, and Louis all glanced at one another when they had yelled the same thing simultaneously.

"What?" Liam asked, turning to Zayn with a disappointed frown. The older boy shrunk back, refusing to look at the others. Liam, who had been blissfully unaware of Zayn’s health, then turned to the others.

 

"You guys knew? How long have you known?" Louis flinched at Liam’s aggravated tone, and stepped behind Harry. The oldest boy leaned to the left so Liam could only see his face.

"When we sang Girl Almighty?" Liam turned to Niall, and the blonde boy looked away. After all these years, Liam was still the Daddy of the group; disappointing him was just as bad as disappointing their actual fathers.

"About halfway into the show." Liam rubbed his temples before he focused his attention back on Zayn. How did he not notice? Zayn looked close to collapsing from exhaustion, and here he had been, encouraging the older boy to give his all into the show.

"We’re going straight to the hotel, and you aren’t leaving that bed until you get better," Liam glanced at the others," and you three aren’t going out for a long time. You knew he was sick, and you still let him perform under these conditions?” The others looked away from Liam with shame, and the Wolverhampton boy took a deep breath. There would be opportunities to scold them later; Zayn needed to get back to the hotel.

 

"C’mon, let’s go." Liam picked the older boy up easily, and headed towards their car. Zayn submissively let the younger boy carry him, knowing that objecting would only cause more problems (and maybe he secretly liked being carried, but that was another story). The others followed with their heads down, and piled into the car. They took the middle row while Liam and Zayn were sat in the back.

Liam had set Zayn down on his lap, where the older boy leaned heavily onto his chest. Liam wrapped his arms around Zayn, and they clasped together against Zayn’s stomach.

"Why’d you do it? You know how dangerous that was." Zayn shook his head, but Liam persisted. He needed to know why Zayn had forced himself; it wasn’t like the show was an absolute necessity. They’ve all missed shows before.

"Zayn, there’s got to be a reason. You’re always thinking things through. Why’d you go out there?" Zayn mumbled, and Liam squeezed the older boy slightly. 

"Say it louder, babe. Why’d you do it?" Zayn sighed, turning his head so it was tucked into Liam’s neck.

"E-Everyone thinks I’m a drug abuser." Liam noticed Zayn’s shaking, and shushed the boy comfortingly when he heard him begin to whimper. The older boy was moments away from crying; either from frustration, shame, or exhaustion (or maybe all three combined).

"You wanted to prove the rumors wrong by performing tonight. You wanted to show them that you were still you." Zayn nodded, and the younger boy kissed his forehead fondly. He looked up and noticed the others were looking at Zayn with a mix of worry and admiration. Liam smiled at them to let them know that everything was going to be okay, that Zayn was going to be okay.

"I’m still upset that you didn’t tell us you didn’t feel well."

"Because you wouldn’t let me perform."

"Fuck yeah, I wouldn’t have." Zayn laughed quietly, letting his eyes shut as the adrenaline left his body. Liam must have noticed his body relax further against his own.

"You can sleep now. We’ll be here when you wake up." Zayn nodded, smiling when he heard the others quietly telling him to get some rest. Liam was quiet until he was positive that Zayn was asleep, and then he looked at the others in front of him.

“He did this for a rumor?” Harry asked, making sure his voice was quiet as to not wake Zayn. Niall shook his head from where he sat, disgusted at what Zayn had put himself through just to please people who gained joy from slandering his name.

“Remember, Zayn’s a little more…fragile than the rest of us. He’s not as good as just letting these rumors come and go.”

“I just can’t believe this. Look at him, look at what he’s done just to prove himself to people that can’t wait to see him fail.” Everyone glanced to Zayn, who looked so small in Liam’s lap. As if the smallest thing could break him, as if the lightest breeze could push him over.

“We should’ve known he was lying. We’ve all agreed on protecting him; look at what a great job we’re doing.” Louis smiled bitterly, disappointed with himself. Disappointed that after four years, there were still people who thrived on bringing Zayn down.

“We just have to be more careful, you know? I can’t see him like this, not again.” The others nodded at Harry’s words; their ages didn’t matter, Zayn was their baby. Theirs to protect from a world that supported them one minute, and then tore them down the next. 

“It won’t be like this again. I trust us to make sure it won’t.” And with Liam’s words said with such confidence and reassurance, there was no doubt in their minds that his words were true.

xxx

When he woke up, Zayn found himself in the middle of one of their many cuddle sessions. There was someone spooning him from behind, with their arm secured tightly around his waist. Judging from the lack of tattoos, it had to be Niall.

Harry was in front of him, with his three sizes too large sweater, and his hair pulled back lazily with one of his bandanas. Their legs were twined together under the heavy sheets, with one of Zayn’s thighs sandwiched between Harry’s own. If Zayn craned his neck, he was sure he would see Louis behind Harry, and Liam behind Niall.

He noticed that he was in a pair of Liam’s sweatpants, which sagged on his noticeably smaller frame. The long sleeve he wore could only be Niall’s; none of the others had a shirt with the American flag (obnoxiously) covering the entire front. 

The only light in the room was from the alarm clock on the bedside table, where the bright green numbers read 1:08. The balcony doors were shut off with large curtains, leaving the room ominously dark.

Zayn wondered what exactly woke him up, seeing that not even being carried into the room and then changed managed to do so. It was only moments after, when he was ready to fall back into the temptations of slumber, when he was rushing out of the bed. He thinks he kicked Louis when he jumped off the bed, but he didn’t stop to apologize.

One of the worst parts of being sick was throwing up, in Zayn’s personal opinion. Headaches, the sudden feeling of being too hot (and then too cold, and the dizziness was something he could handle. But dry heaving in front of the toilet, with his knees digging painfully into the cold tile, was unbearable. 

"Oh, babe." He vaguely heard someone behind him say; he could only whimper as his body shook violently. There were hands rubbing his back and running through his hair; he could faintly hear them trying to comfort him, but it was like they were too far away. 

 

It was a few minutes later when he could finally relax; someone eased him into their lap, where a wet towel was pressed to his forehead. He didn’t even realize that he was panting, as if he had just finished a marathon. Someone was pressing a bottle against his lips; he accepted the water gratefully, whining when it was pulled away too early for his liking.

 

“Better?” It was Louis who had asked, somewhere to his left. He shut his eyes as exhaustion began to take its toll again; he could only nod, as his throat felt too rough to use his voice. He sagged heavily against whoever’s lap he was on, content with the warmth of their body and the hand petting his hair. 

 

“Make sure there’s a trash can by the bed in case, Ni.” He heard Liam voice from his right, followed by the sounds of retreating footsteps. There was a hand being pressed to his forehead, and he squirmed away rather pathetically.

 

“He’s still warm. Lou, see if there’s medicine in that store in the lobby. See if they have Nyquil, okay? Harry, think you can carry him to bed?”

 

Zayn felt Harry shift under him, and he whined with discomfort when the taller boy lifted him too suddenly. Harry apologized quickly, staying in place in fear that Zayn would be sick if he moved another step. 

 

“Is it okay if I move now?” Zayn took a deep breath, as if the stale air of the bathroom would do anything to heal his raging headache and queasy stomach. Then, he nodded curtly, and Harry carefully made his way to the bed (he may have accidentally slammed Zayn’s leg into the doorframe).

 

“Move the covers, Ni. Alright, I’m going to put you do-Liam, help, I’m going to drop him, I swear.” And even as sick as he was, Zayn couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped his lips as Harry panicked about dropping him. He felt another pair of arms slip under him, easing him onto the bed. 

 

“You hear this brat? Laughing at our expense, the ungrateful-“

 

“He’s sick, Haz.”

 

“I’m going to smother him with a pillow when he’s sleeping, just you watch me Payno-“

 

Their banter was interrupted with the door opening, revealing a disgruntled Louis with a bottle of medicine in his hand. Niall, who had settled back into his spooning position with Zayn, rolled his eyes.

 

“What took you so long, Tommo?” Louis threw the bottle at the blonde, and pointed an accusing finger at Liam. “You knew that elevator was broken, didn’t you? Forcing me to walk down stairs is low, even for you.”

 

“The elevators worked earlier Lou, how was I supposed to know it’s out of order now?” Harry shook his head as the two began to argue over the elevator; this wasn’t the first time they’ve fought over something so stupid at such an early hour. They usually went at it for a few minutes until one of the others put it to a stop.

 

“C’mon, the medicine’s good for you. You’ll feel better, Zayn.” Niall coaxed the older boy to sit up, with his back flat against his chest. Niall wondered if Zayn even realized how clingy he was; Zayn was far more cuddly when he was sick. Zayn took the medicine without fighting, taking it quickly and settling back into bed with Niall. Harry joined them, sandwiching Zayn between himself and Niall; the older boy immediately rested his head to where Harry’s neck and shoulder connected, and tangling their legs as they were before.

 

Niall had him tightly against his chest, and Zayn sighed with satisfaction at the feeling of comfort that washed over him. The dull ache of his entire body was gradually being replaced with the sweet relief of sleep. Liam and Louis must have put their fight on hold, as the two fit back into their spots, careful to not jostle the others.

 

Zayn blinked when he felt two hands rest on his hip, and it took him a moment to discern that Liam and Louis had both stretched their arms over the person they were spooning to have some part of them touching Zayn. 

 

In a sense, it let Zayn see how unified the five of them were, and how strong their bond was. And with himself being in the middle, enveloped with the feeling of protection and affection, he couldn’t put his thoughts into words. Of how they all seemed to fit around one another almost too easily, how they knew exactly what they needed. How they all made keeping him safe and protected their number one priority without question.

 

Maybe it was the flu messing with his head, and maybe he was over thinking the very dynamics of their group, but he knew that this band, these people, were once in a lifetime. So, with Niall snoring in his ear and Harry unintentionally kicking his feet in his sleep, Zayn surrendered to enticement of sleep, with the unexplainable and overwhelming feeling of serenity.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> tumblr: zayn-centric-duh


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